Additional Coverage:
- A storm system sweeps across the Southeast, triggering tornado watches and damaging winds (nbcnews.com)
Southeast Braces for Storms as Northeast Thaws, California Prepares for Deluge
ATLANTA – A potent storm system swept across the Southeast this weekend, bringing tornado warnings to parts of Mississippi and Louisiana before setting its sights on Georgia and Florida. This weather upheaval comes as the Northeast finally experiences a much-needed reprieve from weeks of bitter cold, while California braces for its own major winter storm.
The most intense weather in the South was reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where powerful thunderstorm winds caused significant damage. A horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float were overturned, an airport jet bridge sustained damage, and a metal awning was ripped from a house and flung into power lines.
These incidents were documented by National Weather Service employees surveying the area. Power poles were also snapped and toppled in the vicinity of Jena, Cheneyville, and Donaldsonville, Louisiana.
Fortunately, no deaths or serious injuries have been reported amidst the damage. As the storm system progressed into south Georgia and the Florida Panhandle, those regions remained under tornado watches on Sunday.
While the storms did lead to some power outages across southern states, the numbers were significantly lower than the widespread outages caused by ice storms in northern Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee, late last month. By late Sunday afternoon, approximately 11,000 customers in Texas and over 9,000 in northern Florida were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.
Meanwhile, a stark contrast in weather patterns emerged across the nation. The Northeast is finally beginning to warm up after an extended period of unseasonably cold temperatures. Boston, which had been running nearly 7 degrees Fahrenheit below average for February last week and was on track for its coldest winter in over a decade, is expected to see temperatures climb into the high 30s and low 40s this week, closer to seasonal averages.
On the West Coast, much of California is bracing for a powerful winter storm. This system is expected to deliver drenching thunderstorms, damaging winds, and heavy snowfall in mountainous regions. Jacob Spender, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento, urged residents to take precautions, advising travelers to pack winter safety kits and prepare for a “bigger system, and a major system.”
Rain began in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday and is forecast to intensify through Monday, bringing a risk of flooding. The Sierra Nevada, including popular ski resorts around Lake Tahoe, could see up to seven feet of snow before the storm moves out late Wednesday.
Further south, residents in some Los Angeles neighborhoods, still recovering from last year’s devastating wildfires, were under an evacuation warning through Tuesday due to the potential for mud and debris flows. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has ordered emergency crews and city departments to be prepared for any issues that may arise.